The first European settler in what is now Lebanon was Ichabod Corwin, uncle of Ohio Governor Thomas Corwin, who came to Ohio from Bourbon County, Kentucky, and settled on the north branch of Turtle Creek in March 1796.

[citation needed] The site of his cabin is now on the grounds of Berry Intermediate School on North Broadway and is marked with a monument erected by the Warren County Historical Society.

City legend has it that Lebanon didn't grow as large as Cincinnati or Dayton because of the 'Shaker Curse'.

During their migration, the Shakers decided an area outside of town was a suitable place for them to create a homeland for themselves.

In reality, the Shakers thrived in the area, and built a settlement about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Lebanon called Union Village.

Controversial since it began operation in 1999, the Lebanon telecommunications system had struggled to recover its expenses and had accumulated over $8 million in debt.

In the 2006 general election, however, voters approved the sale of this city-run telecommunications system to Cincinnati Bell.

[17][better source needed] The Warren County Historical Museum includes the Harmon Museum, housed in Harmon Hall, a three-story, 28,000 square feet (2,600 m2) building with displays and exhibits of art and artifacts from prehistoric eras to the mid-20th century.

[18][better source needed] The Glendower State Memorial, owned by the Warren County Historical Society, was built in 1836 by Amos Bennett for John Milton Williams, a Lebanon merchant, and named for Owain Glyndŵr.

It has been called "one of the finest examples of Residential Greek Revival architecture style in the Midwest".

[20] The Countryside YMCA is one of the largest in the U.S.[21][better source needed] consists of: four basketball gyms, two weight rooms, five indoor pools, two outdoor pools, tennis courts, baseball fields, racquetball courts, preschool and daycare, gymnastics center, outdoor soccer fields, five aerobics rooms, senior citizen center, two waterparks (one inside, one outside), sports medicine center, rock climbing wall, two indoor tracks, outdoor track, acres of forest and trails, pond, outdoor playground, locker rooms, outdoor volleyball, and flag football fields.

[26][27][28] In October 2013, a Hallmark Channel movie titled The Christmas Spirit was filmed in Lebanon.